and president obama and the first family arrived in hawaii just a short time ago. the president and lawmakers are expected to return thursday after the christmas break. before leaving washington, mr. obama and house speaker john boehner both expressed hope that a deal will actually get done. >> we can't cut our way to prosperity. we need real economic growth. many of us believe on both sides of the aisle that the fundamental reform of our tax code will help us get our economy moving faster and put more americans back to work. and more americans on -- how we get there, god only knows. >> i asked for a compromise from members of congress, i met them more than halfway on spending and met them halfway on taxes. in terms of actual dollar amounts, we're not that far apart. as of today, i am still ready and willing to get a comprehensive package done. >> but time is running out. to reach an agreement, there are now just ten days left until automatic tax hikes and spending cuts do take effect. the s&p 500 and the nasdaq finished in some negative territory for the day. inve